I’m frustrated right now. My oldest is on a never-ending shopping spree in her mind and she just has to have everything. As Americans, we are bombarded with ads telling us we need the latest this or we have to have that. Today I have been “told” I need to go back to school shopping for clothes, shoes and a backpack by my daughter. We “need” to buy licensed binders and lunchboxes. And that’s just school supplies.
I have been around a couple of decades (okay, three) and I have learned to ignore the constant steam of information from companies stating their product is best. My six year old daughter is not so immune. At age four, an ad would come on TV and she would immediately whine “I want that!” We talked to her about it and we thought she learned. Little did we know she had simply learned not to tell us what she wanted. As five years old came, we saw her mature. She opened a savings account. She was happy to see her money gain interest. We thought all was well.
At six years old, Ari now believes she knows everything and has to have a word in every conversation. However, a few weeks ago it got downright scary. My husband and I were reviewing our shopping list and planning our trip for the fewest store visits. During the discussion, Ari piped up “We should go to WalMart. They always have the lowest prices.” We both stared at her, jaws gaping. She said “What? They have the best deals.” I think my brain exploded, because I can’t remember how I recovered.
Sadly, its not just about turning off the TV. For most of the summer Ari watched very little TV, and most of what she did watch had few commercials. But her eyes always spot what I no longer see; an ad on the back of a magazine, on the side of a bus, characters on backpacks and slogans on t-shirts. You can’t be free of it. My child doesn’t just want a backpack, she wants a Wizards of Waverly Place backpack. She wants high heeled shoes like some tween pop star I’ve never heard of. She told my husband today she wants an iPhone. She’s six.
I’m moving to some magical place in a non-existent land where televisions were never invented and advertising is illegal.
While you are trying to survive the day and earn your modest paycheck, those companies are spending millions of dollars on ad agencies, focus groups, and psychologists determining what message and ad campaign is most effective in grabbing your kid’s attention and implanting their message. And then they get to write the cost of it off their corporate taxes.
The deck is stacked against us!
Back to school is a billion dollar industry, its no wonder Ari picks up on it with all the marketing geared towards the pre-tween demographic… 🙂 ie miley for walmart. ‘Get the latest back to school looks for less at walmart.’ No matter how little tv she’s exposed to, she’ll pick it up somewhere. Seriously here it is 24 years later and I still want a trapper keeper. oooh and freaky freezies. oooh and those hot dogs with the cheese in the middle, and a pound puppy!
I think the fact that you are now recognizing where your childs behavior is coming from, is the first step to stopping it. We have to be able to have some control over the constant stream of advertising that our kids are subjected to.